I didn't think much of Ortega. There's so much else in San Diego and Riverside County that seems better. (I live in San Diego so that's where I ride for the most part.) In fact nearly everything east of the 15 is a delight! One of my favorite loops is to head east on the 94 out to Boulevard, head back Old 80 towards Pine Valley, then take either Sunrise or 79 to Julian. At Julian, head east down the Banner Grade. At the bottom, turn around and come back up! Turn right when you are almost at the top onto the Wynola Road, which will end when it reaches the 78/79 between Julian and Santa Ysabel.

Go right down to Santa Ysabel, and continue on 78 down to the Old Julian Highway. Turn left on the OJH, and continue into Ramona. At Ramona, find your way to Wildcat Canyon, and from there to Lakeside and highway 67, where you can buzz back into San Diego.

Alternatively, at Santa Ysabel you can turn right onto the 79, which takes you to the 76 and Palomar, or towards Pala, or Mesa Grande, or Valley Center, or or or . . . all great roads.

And let's not forget the fabulous roads up by Idyllwild, and the Montezuma grade into Borrego Springs, and the lovely roads down through the Anza-Borrego into Palm Desert . . . . Sheer heaven.

We use cookies to improve your experience on this website and so that ads you see online can be tailored to your online browsing interests.
We use data about you for a number of purposes explained in the links below. By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of data and cookies.
Tell me more |
Cookie Preferences